Aviation Daily, May 25, 2015

Europe, showing signs of shaking its economic doldrums, saw premium travel rise 7.8% in March, after an 0.4% gain the previous month. But the brighter skies in key, mature regions are being offset by dark clouds forming elsewhere.

Cathay Pacific and its flight attendant union are set to return to negotiations, as the government has stepped in to attempt to resolve their dispute and avoid a strike during the summer travel season. Hong Kong’s Labor Department is arranging meetings between the parties in the next few weeks, after the Secretary of Labor urged the two sides to exercise restraint and resume talks. The union has been protesting pay-rate rules for junior employees, certain layover allowances, and changes to the wording of company policy regarding legal assistance.

Virgin America says California is the nation’s largest intrastate market, with more than 18,000 passengers daily each way (PDEW), but the airline says it captures only about 7% of that traffic.

Alexandre de Juniac has been reappointed as Air France-KLM Group chairman and CEO after shareholders gave a vote of confidence at the annual general meeting in Paris on May 21. The French government—which just increased its shareholding in the group by 1.7%, to 17.58%, and acquired double voting rights—signaled in March its support for renewing his term for four years.

Cairns will be PAL’s fifth Australian destination. Both PAL and its local rival, Cebu Pacific, regard Australia as a key market, with Cebu lobbying to expand bilateral air rights between the two countries.

While Scoot has already begun replacing its Boeing 777s with 787-9s on existing routes, it has not yet used the new aircraft to open new markets.

The company’s promoters will raise an additional 3 billion rupees ($47 million) “through various sources,” and increase its fleet size to 45-50 aircraft by fiscal year-end, which is March 31, 2016, an airline official says.

In observance of the Memorial Day holiday in the U.S., Aviation Daily will not publish on Monday, May, 25. The next issue will be dated Wednesday, May 27.

The new certificates of authorization (COA) will allow UASs up to 55 lb. operated by the six test sites to fly at or below 200 ft. anywhere in the U.S. except in restricted airspace and areas close to airports.

Operators have until Jan. 1, 2020, to equip their aircraft to fly in controlled air spaces as the FAA focuses on putting the Next Generation Air Transportation System in place.

To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) May 27-28—4th SIS e-invoicing Mobilization Workshop, IATA Conference Center, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iata.org/events/Pages/mobilization-workshop.aspx

For a complete list of Aviation Week’s upcoming events, and to register, visit www.aviationweek.com/events Jun. 17—Commercial Aerospace Manufacturing Briefing C0-located with the International Paris Air Show, Auditorium, (Conference Centre - Hall 2C), 9:00am-11:15am Sept. 14—SpeedNews 3rd Annual European Aerospace Raw Materialas & Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference, Hotel Palladia, Toulouse, France